Tears and Smiles
by XXX-Sakura-KagamineXXX
Summary: Natsu and Lucy are parents with some issues. Their bond is not the same the way back then and it caused them to suffer for they have lost something significant and there's no way to bring it back because a thing that was lost cannot be retrieved anymore especially if we are talking about somebody's life.
1. Chapter 1

Sakura: Hello there everyone and I greet you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday! And as a present, I wrote a fan fiction in this fandom for the first time even though this is not my OTP but this idea just popped out of my mind a while ago and there is no way that I'll let this idea just be swept from my mind so I wrote it quickly as I could before I forget what this is all about.

Warnings: This fanfic will be heartbreaking (for me anyways) and will have death but this is not angst, okay? And also another thing, it's been more than a year since I stopped writing so this might turned to be amateurish but feel free to criticize me but please do it in a nicer way. Thank you.

Christmas is a holiday where you can see everyone exchanging presents and cards to each other. This is also the holiday where you can see several families going out on a vacation in order to keep their family bond stronger.

For Lucy Heartfillia, Christmas was once the most special occasion that they celebrate as a family with her husband, Natsu and her precious daughter, Nashi. Both of them are her most important treasure and will do everything just to protect her family even if it will cost her life.

For Natsu Dragneel, Christmas was the happiest and liveliest time of his life. When he was just a child, not more than the age of five, he did not know what is the meaning of this cherished holiday. The only thing he knew about this is the fact that Christmas is a day where everyone exchanges gifts and eats delicious food. But when he joined the guild and celebrated it with his fellow members he realized its meaning. Starting at that point until now, he sees Christmas as a day where each person, regardless if they are related in blood or not, gives importance and significance to each other's life and is the day they celebrate as whole — as a family.

However, today's case is different. They have lost something significant and there's no way to bring it back because a thing that was lost cannot be retrieved anymore especially if we are talking about somebody's life.

It was totally a heartbreaking event. Everybody mourned for the lost life. Everybody mourned for the death of the Dragneel's daughter, Nashi and this happened just because of a rare disease.

Everything happened four months ago. This was the time when the relationship of both parents seemed to be distant. Natsu stopped staying at their house and was always going out while Lucy will just worry where he was and when will he come back. Fortunately, he still stays once a week just to see and have a fatherly bond with his daughter but unfortunately after Nashi sleeps they will fight about Natsu not coming back earlier while he will just reason out that he went for an S-class job that will certainly take a lot of time to finish. After several screams and plates breaking, they'll say sorry and forgive each other and will go to sleep.

But they did not notice their child looking at the door witnessing their fight and also the tears that fell down from her eyes.

This kind of routine became usual to them. Natsu and Lucy making a fuss over the same thing, yelling at each other that seemed so endless again without knowing that Nashi can hear them clearly and she was crying silently under those tucked sheets. It was the usual but everything got worse. Natsu began to come home longer than his usual and even though Lucy doesn't want to doubt her partner, she can't help but still have a little doubt that her husband has been seeing someone.

One day when she was out to shop for some ingredients she need she heard some rumors concerning about her husband and this was a bad news. She heard that he was having an affair with an unknown woman. She couldn't hear the conversation clearly at her current place so she went to a closer place where she'll not be caught eavesdropping on them and this is what she heard.

"No way! Salamander has a new girl?"

"Yes way! Many people saw him hanging with a girl and they said she was so beautiful!"

"Much more beautiful that his wife?"

"I don't know! I have never seen her with my own eyes! But if the Salamander have an affair with another girl then that girl must be much beautiful."

Automatically Lucy used her hand to cover her mouth to stop sobbing and crying. She does not want to believe it but everything makes sense. However, she still held that tiny faith she has to her husband.

After almost a month Natsu came back. It was already midnight when he returned. The lights were off so he flicked the switch only to see his wife sitting on the sofa with her head bowed down covered with her bangs to cover the emotions she is lingering right now.

"Natsu, can we talk?" Her voice sounded croaky and shaky as if she cried. _Wait… She cried?_

She did not yell at him, her voice was calm even though it sounded croaky but at the same time the tension became too much to take and the atmosphere was so heavy that it almost seemed that he would not be able to breathe.

"What are we going to talk about? If you're going to ask me where I went the answer is still the same."

"No. It's not about that this time." That's not what they'll talk about? Then what would be the issue here?

"Then what is it?" He took a seat in front of hers hoping to see what kind of face is she making.

"Is she so beautiful?" She knew? She knew about this? Oh no! He could not answer. He was not ready for this!

"Natsu, answer me… please. Is she so beautiful, kinder, and sweeter? Or maybe should I say is she better than me in several ways?" She was starting to shake. She could feel the tears in her eyes but she refuses to show it in front of him. Yes, she will cry, she admits that she is a big crybaby but for now she will not show it. She'll cry after he leaves.

Natsu could not answer. He was caught and he was guilty about it. This was inevitable. He knows that sooner or later she will find out about this issue but he did not expect it to be this sooner and he was not ready about it at all. Not ready at all.

She was wishing that he will deny it. She'd rather want him to lie and say that it was not true, that it was just a rumor and there is nothing to be worried about. She is not ready for the truth. Not ready at all.

After a moment of heavy silence he finally responded.

"Yes… It's all true…"

Her that she shut tightly opened widely because of the shock and hurt that she receive from just a few words. So it was all true. They were not just rumors. It was the real thing.

"Is that the reason why you always came back home so lately?"

"Yes." With that one word they both knew that everything was over. Their relationship started as a beautiful fairy tale but it did not end with a happily ever after.

A/N: And that's a wrap folks! For those who might've wondering I just stopped it there because I need to rest for now but I will publish the second chapter tomorrow. Please leave a review, that will make me happy. Again Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. XXX-Sakura-Kagamine/Kiryuu-XXX signing off.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura: Hello there again folks! To you, who is reading this fanfic now, I greet you a Merry Merry Christmas! Here is chapter 2 for you.

xxxSakura-Kagaminexxx

There was a heavy tension that surrounded them. Lucy actually didn't want to interrogate him but the words kept flying from her mouth. She was not prepared for the truth but she knew that she can't keep living on lies. She cannot live in the fantasy where she can believe that the love between them will not fade and everything will be alright. Sadly, she needs to live in the reality where she could see the truth even though it will devour her to the core.

She smiled sadly, everything was over and that's the truth. Fate is truly cruel and that's what she realized.

"Lucy… I-"

"It's alright." _No shit Sherlock, it isn't. _It is not alright. Nothing was alright.

"I just want to say I'm sorry." Natsu looked down to his clenched hands. "Even though you won't forgive me at least let me tell you that I'm sorry. She was just so amazing. She's the best girl I have ever met. I'm so sorry,"

"If she's better than me then I have no choice. If your heart belongs to another woman then so be it. I have no choice but…" She was starting to shake uncontrollably and she can feel a tear dripping from her face. "To let you go…"

"Lucy…" He looked up to see her face hidden face. "Lucy… Thank you."

"But before you go to her arms… please promise me to still fulfill your responsibility as a father to my- no to our daughter, not for my sake but for her sake. Please Natsu."

"Yes. Thank you Lucy. Thank you for letting me go and for letting me do my responsibility for her."

He looked up the clock realizing that it was already past midnight and he needs to go to his own house with Happy.. He needs to go and face tomorrow bravely. He muttered a small goodbye and closed the door leaving the poor broken Lucy crying uncontrollably like there's no tomorrow.

Nashi witnessed the whole scenario. Despite of her early age, she can understand what's going on her surroundings. She understands that her family is broken. She closed the door to her room and cried silently in the night. Suddenly her heart throbbed painfully and she clenched her chest attempting to stop the pain. The pain stopped after a few seconds and she drifted to sleep with a tear falling on her face.

"Hey, Natsu….Is this really the right thing to do?" His blue male cat, Happy, asked.

Is this really the right thing do? Is breaking off with Lucy the right thing to do? "Yes, it is. I cannot let myself leading her on with a false faith. It's better to say the truth than to tell a lie or else she will still hold on to that little faith."

This was not something Natsu will say. No, this is not something the past Natsu would say. If this have happened in the past then he will go back to her house banging her door making her to go out and see him and maybe he will kneel down and began to cry saying that he loves her or something like that.

He realized, Natsu became a matured man long ago. He finally knows about this kind of thing. He is not dense anymore. He is so mature now. He can now face to the reality.

Natsu was once the so carefree and happy-go-lucky man. He was usually the spirit of a group because of his fiery attitude. He was once always can be seen with a goofy smile but today is different. He has already grown up to this kind of man.

But still it was saddening to see his best friend breaking apart because something important was lost from him. He lost the strong bond he once had with Lucy. He lost the relationship he had with her.

"Natsu, don't you regret it? Don't you regret breaking up with Lucy? Don't you regret being with that woman?"

Regrets….? Did he regret everything that he has done? Did he regret letting their bond be broken because of just a single person?

He couldn't answer. But Happy noticed a tear falling from Natsu's face and he realized that his pal was a broken man… for now. He'll do anything that it takes to bring back the man to his normal self and there's only one way to do it.

He'll do anything to bring their relationship back.

Thankfully, Natsu did his role as a father perfectly. He came back home earlier than his usual to see his daughter and Lucy was thankful for it. She realized that he did really love his child and Nashi loves him too equally with Lucy.

One night, Nashi was playing with Happy when Natsu entered her room before she sleep. Nashi smiled happily as he saw her father's face. She'll ask him a favor before she goes to sleep and tonight will be the same but tonight will be quite difficult for him.

"Hello there, princess!" Natsu smiled brightly at her and Nashi did the same. "What do you want me to do now? Dance? Sing? Tell another fairy tale?"

"Dad, please tell me a story before I go to sleep! Please!" Nashi did a puppy dog face. She pouted to her father attempting him to do her a favor.

"Sure, sweetheart. Now what story do you want me to tell? Cinderella? Sleeping Beauty? Beauty and the Beast?" he offered while picking up a story book from a desk beside her but she requested for something different.

"No! I don't want a fairy tale, dad! How about if you just tell me how you and mom fell in love?"

The book he was holding slipped through his hand, eyes wide with shock and… _confusion? _This night was difficult, he will tell his child about their fairy tale- their love story. And he knows that it will not be easy telling his daughter something about the past that is now gone at the present.

How could he tell their love story without any chance of him being torn apart, damn it!

xxx-Sakura-Kagamine-xxx

Sakura: And there! Thank you for reading the second chapter of Tears and Smiles! Please leave a review! Thanks :D


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